Théodore Lévigne – The Banks Of The Saône In The Snow, With Figures – Oil On Canvas – Signed
Artist: Lévigne Théodore (1848 – 1912, France)
THÉODORE LÉVIGNE (1848–1912)
The Banks of the Saône in the Snow, with Figures
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right “Theodore Levigne”
61 × 46 cm — 69 × 54 cm with frame
Very good condition
Modern frame with a wide, patinated silver-plated panel, excellent condition
Late winter afternoon along the banks of the Saône. The road running alongside the river has already been carved out by the wheels: two brown ruts cut through the fresh snow and draw the eye toward the background of the painting.
A cart is coming down toward us, pulled by a single horse. The cart driver is wearing a light-colored hat and has draped a blue blanket over his knees—it will be a long route. A little further down, a man has stopped by the railing: it’s the mailman, recognizable by his uniform and the mailbag he wears slung over his shoulder. His dog is with him. The two men are about to pass each other, and no doubt know one another. Further down the road, another figure is walking away.
It is a scene of work, yet one without apparent effort: the mailman’s route, the cart returning home, a winter day like any other.
On the opposite bank, a village’s white roofs are terraced at the foot of a hillside, with its pointed bell tower and two tall factory chimneys rising straight into the sky. Two other chimneys stand closer by, on the side of the road. The river is perfectly still and reflects the pink of the sky.
And it is indeed the sky that sets the tone. A vast gradient of orange and pink fills the upper half of the canvas, traversed by a pale sun that still provides light but no longer offers warmth. Lévigne often returned to this motif of the red sun over the snow, which he mastered perfectly.
The left side, however, is out of the ordinary. In the foreground, a bare tree whose every branch bears its load of snow, painted with dry, meticulous brushstrokes, followed by the scrubby embankment that plunges toward the water. That large, bright void between the tree and the village, that open river occupying the entire left-center of the canvas: the composition is bolder than in most of his snow scenes, where the road and houses fill the entire space.
The canvas is in very good condition; the whites remain bright and the sky has not dulled. The modern frame, with a wide, patinated silver surface, is in excellent condition and complements the cool tones of the work well.
The Artist
Born on November 17, 1848, in Noirétable, in the Loire department, Théodore Lévigne is one of the leading figures of the Lyon School of the second half of the 19th century. Admitted to the Imperial School of Fine Arts in Lyon in 1860, he quickly distinguished himself and, in 1863—at the age of fifteen—was awarded the Laurier d’Or. A scholarship from the City of Lyon enabled him to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied in the studios of Alexandre Cabanel and Jean-Léon Gérôme.
In 1867, at the age of nineteen, he decorated the Jesuit chapel in Avignon: 112 life-size saints in three months. He then spent time in Sicily, where he perfected his fresco technique and his rendering of fabrics. The war of 1870 interrupted this journey; after being wounded, he enlisted as a volunteer in the 1st Rhône Legion.
A highly versatile realist painter, Lévigne tackled every genre: landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, still lifes, and large-scale historical and military compositions. Settling in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or, on the heights overlooking the Saône, he painted the river and its villages tirelessly, developing a personal style that combined his academic training with an atmospheric sensibility close to Impressionism. His winter landscapes, with their half-tones and low-hanging sunlit skies, are among his most recognizable masterpieces.
A prolific artist, he exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and became a respected figure in the Lyon art scene. His works are now featured in several French museums. He died in Lyon on November 11, 1912, and is buried in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or.
Work on view at the gallery (07240)
Shipping: Please contact us for shipping rates within France and internationally.
The Banks of the Saône in the Snow, with Figures
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right “Theodore Levigne”
61 × 46 cm — 69 × 54 cm with frame
Very good condition
Modern frame with a wide, patinated silver-plated panel, excellent condition
Late winter afternoon along the banks of the Saône. The road running alongside the river has already been carved out by the wheels: two brown ruts cut through the fresh snow and draw the eye toward the background of the painting.
A cart is coming down toward us, pulled by a single horse. The cart driver is wearing a light-colored hat and has draped a blue blanket over his knees—it will be a long route. A little further down, a man has stopped by the railing: it’s the mailman, recognizable by his uniform and the mailbag he wears slung over his shoulder. His dog is with him. The two men are about to pass each other, and no doubt know one another. Further down the road, another figure is walking away.
It is a scene of work, yet one without apparent effort: the mailman’s route, the cart returning home, a winter day like any other.
On the opposite bank, a village’s white roofs are terraced at the foot of a hillside, with its pointed bell tower and two tall factory chimneys rising straight into the sky. Two other chimneys stand closer by, on the side of the road. The river is perfectly still and reflects the pink of the sky.
And it is indeed the sky that sets the tone. A vast gradient of orange and pink fills the upper half of the canvas, traversed by a pale sun that still provides light but no longer offers warmth. Lévigne often returned to this motif of the red sun over the snow, which he mastered perfectly.
The left side, however, is out of the ordinary. In the foreground, a bare tree whose every branch bears its load of snow, painted with dry, meticulous brushstrokes, followed by the scrubby embankment that plunges toward the water. That large, bright void between the tree and the village, that open river occupying the entire left-center of the canvas: the composition is bolder than in most of his snow scenes, where the road and houses fill the entire space.
The canvas is in very good condition; the whites remain bright and the sky has not dulled. The modern frame, with a wide, patinated silver surface, is in excellent condition and complements the cool tones of the work well.
The Artist
Born on November 17, 1848, in Noirétable, in the Loire department, Théodore Lévigne is one of the leading figures of the Lyon School of the second half of the 19th century. Admitted to the Imperial School of Fine Arts in Lyon in 1860, he quickly distinguished himself and, in 1863—at the age of fifteen—was awarded the Laurier d’Or. A scholarship from the City of Lyon enabled him to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied in the studios of Alexandre Cabanel and Jean-Léon Gérôme.
In 1867, at the age of nineteen, he decorated the Jesuit chapel in Avignon: 112 life-size saints in three months. He then spent time in Sicily, where he perfected his fresco technique and his rendering of fabrics. The war of 1870 interrupted this journey; after being wounded, he enlisted as a volunteer in the 1st Rhône Legion.
A highly versatile realist painter, Lévigne tackled every genre: landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, still lifes, and large-scale historical and military compositions. Settling in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or, on the heights overlooking the Saône, he painted the river and its villages tirelessly, developing a personal style that combined his academic training with an atmospheric sensibility close to Impressionism. His winter landscapes, with their half-tones and low-hanging sunlit skies, are among his most recognizable masterpieces.
A prolific artist, he exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and became a respected figure in the Lyon art scene. His works are now featured in several French museums. He died in Lyon on November 11, 1912, and is buried in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or.
Work on view at the gallery (07240)
Shipping: Please contact us for shipping rates within France and internationally.
1 200 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Other Style
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Width: 61 cm / 69 cm encadré
Height: 46 cm / 54 cm encadré
Reference (ID): 1820786
Availability: In stock
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